I could take all 120 FBS schools and put each in tidy groups of 12, for 10 conferences. But that does not provide a solution for future upgrades or any drop-backs. I am sure other posters here could do the same with somewhat similar results if using the current structures for give, take, and those remaining the same. But that's dream stuff.

Quinn, your point that the BE would have, if they went to 12 fb, have 4 slots for schools to be a part of the AQ BCS, is important. The B12 has two. As long as the BE and B12 are under 12 each, there will remain schools vying for joining. All this, of course, is if the designated BCS conferences remain unchanged.

I would like to see MWC at 12 and even picking up Utah State. While USU is no perennial power and often struggles, their location is important. Also, with a new challenge and opportunity, USU could improve athletically.

UTEP is another oddity. They may not want to be with nearby NMSU, and stated they want to be in a conference with other Texas schools. That is somewhat understandable. But if a couple of other schools are in a move with them, then perhaps they would be receptive to a more western-type conference again. However, if TCU does leave the MWC, the conference may just forget about Texas alltogether.

I could see a C-USA split, and a couple of WAC schools and SunBelt schools bond with the western division----La Tech, NMSU, and Arkansas State; maybe LA-L and/or N. Texas.

Texas-SA, Tex. State could be going to a depleted entity. As to Idaho and SJSU, maybe they really do need to be with Montana, Montana State, and other Big Sky schools.

Shooting for reasonable regionality makes sense.

Article out of San Diego with comments from SDSU President indicating that the MWC has authorized their Commish to discuss membership with Hawaii but a final ok will likely not be made until their January meeting.He says that the MWC may look to expand to 12 schools and has previously had exploratory talks with other unnamed schools.Link at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... ond-hawaii

I'm really beginning to wonder if we're effectively going to end up with a WAC-MWC merger when all the dust settles:

Hawaii to the Mountain West for football only/Big West for all other sports
Denver to the Mountain West for all sports (no football)
Houston to the Mountain West for all sports
Louisiana Tech to Conference USA for all sports

UTSA and Texas State are let out of their WAC invites and join the Sun Belt as the Sun Belt goes to a 12/13 alignment until UALR joins The Summit League

San Jose State and Sacramento State join the Big West; San Jose State plays as an FBS-only member of Conference USA and Sacramento State remains in the Big Sky for football

Utah State, Idaho, and New Mexico State threaten the Mountain West with legal action. As part of the settlement, the three become members of the Mountain West in everything but football while agreeing to play home-and-home with 2 Mountain West schools per year in football.

MWC Pacific:
Fresno State, San Diego State, UNLV, Boise State, Nevada

MWC Mountain:
Idaho, Utah State, Denver, Colorado State, Wyoming

MWC Western:
TCU, Houston, New Mexico State, New Mexico, Air Force

When the Big XII eventually invites BYU and Air Force, Denver moves to the Southwest Division, Boise State moves to the Mountain Division, and San Jose State replaces Boise State in the Pacific Division. Utah State becomes the new 12th member for football.

I've not seen anyone sue their way into a conference. That usually accomplishes the opposite of intent.

Irony time. If the Mountain West is set on 12 for football, and TCU is leaving...

Houston's the #1 MARKET.

As for school support, attendance, what-not... it's UTEP.

Would both join if invited?

Then...

Montana consistently sells out football games with a stadium almost as large as any remaining WAC member, draws well for WOMEN'S basketball, and owns the state. It has an apparent money-managing problem, however, and that may affect their ability to move up.

Utah State has access to a larger market (if very little penetration), football is no better than other remaining WAC schools, but men's basketball is a hidden gem outside the west.

Everyone else... they don't belong in this conversation. We can talk about San Jose State's potential, but forces now in the Mountain West already tried that once. I'll bet a dollar that they drop football (despite the AD's work) if the WAC can't solve Hawaii.

The WAC should merge with the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The WAC is about to be in the business of being a hybrid conference anyway, unless the NCAA goes vampire and decides it must die to enhance BCS basketball (yes, I said BCS basketball) revenue.

A point to Fresno State alum: I think you've partially shown a point about prestige still being a matter of importance to schools. I've come to accept that to the depth of where the Mountain West is going, where it's probably taking on the appearance of a 12-school conference with FB-only in Hawaii and non-FB with (insert school here). However, for these WAC schools left behind, and for others in the west, I have this suspicion that the bills are piling up, and taxpayers will not accept the status quo. Some efficiencies are going to have to be realized; for these schools, some sort of hybrid arrangement needs to exist.

Almost getting to the point that if the Big East expanded with 2 and CUSA lost a school (UCF) and MWC lost a school, they could effectively just bring in schools to both get to 12 and have their champion vs champion BCS play-in game they discussed.

I think it was be truly comical if Utah St. and lowly Idaho joined the MWC as 11 and 12, and NMSU joined CUSA (as long a shot as that is) with UTSA, TSU and La Tech ending up in the Sunbelt. All of a sudden you have only SJSU left outside. Ouch.

Or course, the fun topic of a 12 team Big East would mean eventually that 3-4 WAC schools would move elsewhere and Utah St. might end up in the MWC. Not that much of stretch when you look at the numbers: if the Big East ever split and expanded to 12, the result would be only 3 WAC schools remaining...likely SJSU, Idaho and then a 3rd (NMSU or Texas St?)

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MWC MB thread discussing above posted linked article with comments from SDSU President who says that the MWC has already had exploratory talks with schools in addition to Hawaii and believes that the MWC "may" end up going to 12 FB members sometime after the January MWC meeting.
I anticipate more MWC realignment "leaks" and rumors as get closer to that January meeting.
Link at http://www.mwcboard.com/www/forums/inde ... opic=29519

Speaking of MWC realignment Rumors;
MWC MB thread discussing "unconfirmed"rumor out of Fort Worth that there is a TCU BOT conference call scheduled for this coming tuesday to discuss a BE invite.Time will tell.
Link at http://www.mwcboard.com/www/forums/inde ... opic=29569

MWC MB thread discussing TCU BOT conference call Rumor update.Apparently this rumor has been "tweaked".Now this conference call has been rescheduled until next week.Time will tell if it ever "gets legs".Link at http://www.mwcboard.com/www/forums/inde ... opic=29637

Apparently there might have been something to those TCU BOT rumors.
MWC MB thread discussing TCU to BE report at http://www.mwcboard.com/www/forums/inde ... opic=29802

Gotta wonder what this means for the MWC.

We know Hawaii is hoping for an official FB invite to be #10, replacing TCU. SDSU prez says 12 is a real possibility. Utah St. wants in and thinks they can help salvage some of SLC which had been the core market, but is losing it's top 2 programs.


MWC has plenty of options:
1) Hawaii as #10
1b) Pass on Hawaii, bring Utah St. as #10
2) Utah St. and a Texas school as 12 (Houston, UTEP, SMU)
3) Pass on Hawaii in favor of Utah St. and (2) Texas schools like Houston and SMU (help retain some of Dallas market...June Jones has done well at SMU)
4) Invite Hawaii but pass on utah st. in favor of (2) Texas schools

I think that covers just about all of the realistic possibilities. Anyone think i missed any?

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Minus TCU, the MWC is at 9 for all sports..

We know:

Utah State claimed they were invited when the BYU gambit went down back in August.
(so can we conclude that the MWC does value them as a place-keeper in the SLC market ?)
If you believe they were invited back in August, why wouldn't they be attractive now ?

Hawaii claims that negotiation on Hawaii FB to MWC / other sports to the Big West were progressing nicely (meaning no "show stoppers"). Apparently Hawaii thing is on hold until they consummate their Big West arrangement first.

These 2 additions would give them 11 FB / 10 other.

If you like this logic, and believe the MWC wants 12 / 12, that suggests 1 more all-sports school and 1 [all but FB] school. Either Seattle or Denver could fill the latter description. For the all-sports member, it could be any number of schools from the WAC or CUSA.

I personally like UTEP (based on decent athletics and geography), but geography really doesn't seem to count for much....

It's time to kill the WAC:

Denver to the Mountain West (balances out Hawaii)
Utah State and New Mexico State to the Mountain West for all sports
Texas State and UTSA to the Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech, Idaho, and San Jose State to play as FBS independents; other sports to Summit, Big Sky, and Big West respectively.

If the Big East and Big 12 expand again, Conference USA or the Mountain West pick up the strays.

We are getting to the point where things are starting to fit in nicely almost from a regional perspective.

All the logical moves got made at the top:
Big Ten (12) brings in nearby Nebraska instead of going east
Pac-10 (12)brings in Utah and Colorado, the 2 schools that made the most sense for a decade
MWC (10) brings in Boise st., Nevada and Fresno st.
CUSA at 12
MAC at 12+1
Sunbelt at 10
WAC at 7

So now the big East brings in TCU so the MWC is down to 9. But they seem publicly interested in 12, so you could see 3 more added to get to 12.

MWC expansion to 12 means via trickledown or direct additions, the WAC is down to 4.

Now if the Big East decided to split and expand to 12 or the Big 12 expanded to 12, trickle down does kill the WAC.

It really makes too much sense from an NCAA perspective, but it's the conferences that call the shots. The tragedies will be SJSU and Idaho (assuming Utah St. does end up in the wAC). La Tech and NMSU will be fine as they'll have Sunbelt or CUSA options eventually via trickledown. Just too bad the MWC couldn't extend a lifeline to Idaho and SJSU, if only for football only.

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Ferd Lewis article out of Hawaii suggesting that the TCU move should make it easier for Hawaii to consummate a deal with the MWC.Link at http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/fe ... _move.html

Also,looks like MWC Presidents will be having an expansion related meeting in early December.

Thanks
Freaked

MWC MB thread discussing "unconfirmed" reports that Utah State and UTEP are in membership discussions with the MWC.The next scheduled MWC Presidents meeting is slated for December 10,2010.Stay Tuned.Link at http://www.mwcboard.com/www/forums/inde ... opic=29930